Placing faith

There comes a time when your faith is tested. You trust for something and one day it comes true, or so you think, so you hope. As time goes by doubt seems to fade in. Then the choice becomes yours to believe whether it was ever true and if your hope was put in the right place. Faith in its essence is the most important thing one needs to have to maintain a strong foundation and relationship with God.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

What happens when you put your faith in Him and you witness the phenomenon your faith extends, greater expectations are put into the battles you face. You grow spiritually. If you pass the initial test you will reap the benefits that will follow. But sometimes we miss that opportunity, we give up too soon.

For a very long time I wished I could speak in tongues. It was more of a barrier I wanted to climb over or break instead of spiritual enlightenment and expanding ways to have communion with God.

2018 came and one of the few goals I had was to speak in tongues. It wasn’t even 3 months in and that opportunity came. If I remember correctly we were asked who would like to speak in tongues. A few of us including myself came forward and a mentor came up and prayed in his tongue. At first I felt nothing. I waited there and waited, waited for something to come out. Then my lecturer came up and started to intercede as well. I felt I should just utter something. Maybe from there it will flow.

As I started to mumble gibberish I felt a weight being released. From there I started to speak in tongues. My mission was complete.

Then the test came.

Nobody knows for certain whether that truly was tongues. So how do I know for sure? Doubt from the enemy came. In my mind it seemed very likely this was all deceit. I still practiced speaking it and it did seem to develop. I even witnessed a dream in which I needed to speak out, actually sing it out.

What you may have missed is that there are people who can interpret tongues, through God’s assistance of course. It clearly says in 1 Corinthians 12 that one can, among other things. Towards the end of the year a few of my friends met someone who was gifted in interpreting tongues.

We sat at a table in a festival around a table. It was time to see who could speak in tongues and what it meant. It honestly felt like a cult in hindsight. It was as if we needed our own war-cry of some sorts to be a part of it and you would be judged accordingly.

I went second after the first guy went and seemed to receive a fair interpretation. It certainly was awkward and uncomfortable to openly speak in that way while everyone was closely listening, but I guess it was a unique experience for sure. At the end of my ‘performance’ I waited in anticipation. At first I thought it was never tongues at all for he shook his head, but once he spoke it revealed to me such deeply rooted interests, desires and even obstacles I needed to overcome. A huge relief and a moment of clarity. A jump in the right direction.

What I’m getting at is the person who guided me while I remained in uncertainty. If it wasn’t for him I may have waited a while longer for it to be clear that I could in fact speak in tongues. His gift may seem peculiar but it is unique and cardinal.

Our gifts we attain are unique and the world needs to see them whether you are comfortable to show others or not. It breaks down barriers, brings hope and changes lives.

It may even reveal someone’s faith to be rooted in the right place.